Combination shoulder for railroad tie plates



Feb. 20, 1940- F. c. STOWELL 2,190,999

COMBINATION SHOULDER FOR RAILROAD TIE PLATES Filed March 1s, 1.938 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Feb. 20, 1940 Frank C. Stowell,Medford, Mass.

Application March 16, 1938, Serial .No. 196,224

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a new combination shoulderfor railroad tieplates such that while approximately two-thirds of the length of therail retaining shoulder remains of the comparative form, size and weightof the shoulders as now commonly used, the central portion of theshoulder, about a third of the whole, is so enlargedas to permitof aform to receive and hold a rail clip fastening upon a tie plate and arail base. The object of this shoulder design is to allow the use ofeither the present form of track spikes or rail clips singly or bothtypes incombination. I

In contrast with present practice of track,

spikes which on account of their universally updrawn position, exert novertical or lengthwise restraint of the rails, resilient rail clipfasteners are destined to increasing use as a means of restraining railcreeping lengthwise and so dispensing with use of present auxiliary railanchors.

To the present, those patented designs of tie plates using the shouldersthereof to in part control rail clips, have employed radically enlargedshoulders of one uniform section across the tie plate. Of enlarged formand universally extending above. the rail base, such shoulders addobjectional extra weight and cost without added strength to a tie plate.Confined to clip use only, they prevent the usual form of spiking singlyor in combination with the clips.

The applicant, conscious from personal practice and contacts withprevalent track sentiments, that a possible combined used of both clipsand drive or screw spikes in the same plate is desirable, has designedtie plate shoulders to so function and as described below, referencesbeing had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a partial side elevation of the outer half of a tie plate, across tie and cross section of a part of a rail base, all full size.

Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan view of the outer half of a tie plate,part of a rail base and cross tie, all full size. The rail clip shown inFigs. 1 and 3 is omitted from Fig. 2 to more clearly show specialfeatures of the tie plate shoulder.

Fig. 3 is an isometric view of a rail base, tie plate, rail clip and lagspikes.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 5 is a rail base, 6 is a tie plate, 1 is a crosstie, 8 and 9 are component parts of a tie plate shoulder, in is a spikehole that may be round or square for screw or drive spikes to hook overrail base in common manner, H and I2 are lag spike holes that may beround (01. 238-304) or square for either screw or drive spikes to lagtie plate to tie.

In Figs. 2 and 3 the two opposite extremities of shoulder 9 retain thegeneral form, size and weight commonly used on tie plates and for Babout two thirds of the shoulder length add no extra weight or otherdeviation from the common shoulder types. The portion 8 of shoulder 9,about one third of the shoulder length, is a IUNITED STATESPATENT oFFicsspecial enlargement and departure from the 10 usual shoulder form, toprovide an adequate stock for a contour design to receive and assist inhold- 1 ing a rail clip upon the tie plate and rail base. For example,the outer face of shoulder enlargement 8 could be given theangularsurfaces 15 most plainly indicated in Fig. l and which could receive asuitably shaped rib depending from the under side of a rail clip, theopposite extremities of which rest upon a tie plate and :a rail base.Such a clip is claimed in my application of June 16, 1936, Serial Number85,532. The form. 8 is adequate to other ways of contacting andcontrolling various forms of rail clips. I am aware other forms of theseparts are possible within the intent of my invention which contemplatesother forms of those parts.

I claim:

1. In combination, a rail, a rail supporting tie plate having integral,parallel raised shoulders with continuous vertical faces to abut theopposite sides of a rail base, approximately two thirds of eachshoulder, one third from either end, being of such comparable heightwith the sides of a rail base as to allow punching there- 1 through toreceive a track spike to contact the side and top of a rail base, acentral portion of said shoulder extending outward to overhang and forma subreentrant shoulder face of suitable obliqueanglewiththeback face ofthe tie plate shoulder to receive in movable contact a depending crossrib of a resilient rail clip, one end of said resilient rail clip beingin resilient contact with the rail base and the opposite end beingdisposed Within a vertical recess in the top surface of the tie plate,said recess holding the resilient clip in movable contact with saidoblique reentrant outer face of the tie plate shoulder.

2. In combination, a rail, a rail supporting tie plate having integral,parallel raised shoulders with continuous vertical faces to abut theopposite sides of a rail base, approximately two thirds of eachshoulder, one third from either end, being of such comparable heightwith the sides of a rail base as to allow punching therethrough toreceive a track spike to contact the 56 side and top of a rail base, acentral portion of said shoulder extending outward to overhang and forma subreentrant shoulder face of suitable oblique angle with the backface of the tie plate shoulder to receive in movable contact a dependingcross rib of a resilient rail clip, so that when the resilient rail clipis placed on the rail and tie plate, the lower edge of a depending ribof said resilient rail clip rests just within the upper extremity of theoblique, re-

entrant face of the tie plate shoulder and by forcing the resilient railclip towards the plate shoulder until the plate end of the rail clipfalls within a prepared vertical recess in the top surface of the tieplate, the depending resilient rail clip cross ribis forced downward andinward and movably against the oblique, reentrant plate shoulder face,while the rail end of the resilientrail clip is resiliently forcedfurther up the rail base slope, and the plate end of the resilient railclip'is seated in the recess of tie plate.

3. In combination, a rail, a rail supporting tie plate having integralparallel raised shoulders with continuous vertical faces to abut theopposite sides of a rail base, approximately two thirds of eachshoulder, one third from either end, being of such comparable heightwith the sides of a rail base as to allow punching therethrough toreceive a track spike to contact the side and top of a rail base, acentral portion of said plate shoulder extending outward to overhang-andform a subreentrant shoulder face of suitable oblique angle with theback face of the tie plate shoulder to receive a depending cross rib-ofa resilient rail clip, so that when the tie plate end of the resilientrail clip is seated ina vertical recess in the top surface of the tieplate, resulting in the maximum pressure of the depending cross rib ofthe resilient rail clip against said oblique, reentrant outer face ofthe tie plate shoulder and the maximum pressure of the resilient railclip upon the rail base, the spring arch construction of the plate sideof the resilient rail clip will allow the depending cross rib of theresilient rail clip to back and rise slightly and automatically reseatto supplement the resilient spring action of the rail l end of theresilient rail clip, while pressing upon a and receiving the verticalupthrusts of the rail base.

4; In combination, a rail, a rail supporting tie plate having integralparallel raised shoulders suitable oblique angle with the back face ofthe plate shoulder to receive the depending cross rib or", a resilientrail clip, so that when the tie plate end of the resilient rail clip isseated in a vertical recess in the top surface of the tie plate,resulting in the maximum pressure, of the depending cross rib oftheresilient rail clip against said oblique reentrant outer face of thetie plate shoulder and the maximum pressure of the resilient rail clipupon the rail base, the spring arch construction of the plate side ofthe resilientv rail clip will allow the depending cross rib to back andrise and automatically reseat, while freeing the plate end of theresilient clip from said recess in the plate, automatically whollyreleases the resilient rail clip.

FRANK C. STOWELL.

